A large black bear was killed this morning when it ran into Route 287 in Bridgewater and collided with a Toyota Camry, police said.

Witnesses told police that the bear "ran down the hill" near milepost 20 and right into traffic, said State Police Sgt. Brian Potter.

The accident happened around 9:30 a.m. and the bear died at the scene. The driver of the Toyota was uninjured, but the car suffered extensive front end damage and had to be towed, Potter said.

Authorities believe the bear is the same one spotted over the holiday weekend in the Bridgewater area. Police received numerous sightings of a 200-pound black bear around Vogt Drive, the Somerset County Vocational Technical Institute and the Crim Road neighborhood of Martinsville.